Cars.

[tec0]

Yes we all need them, not even a South African freemason saw this coming. Cars are basically an essential part everyday living. Most jobs require that you have your own transport and that you have a car license thus it is safe to say that the car is basically the lifeblood of almost every South African.

South African car companies noticed this back in the old days and they just screwed the South African population. Why because we don’t have alternatives when it comes to “safe” transport. And to add to our misery it is also known that South Africans will pay more for our second hand cars “fact” then a new car?

VW “Volkswagen” is known to sell a second hand discontinued VW Citi golf’s for more than a new car and this was before they killed it off. If you are shopping for second hand clean golf 2008 to 2010 you are expected to pay R79000 to R84000.

Still even cheap cars like your Chery-QQ 0.8 TE this car will set you back R69900 and then the car is so basic you will think that you are buying a 1908 model-T?? All I can say is it is cheap, and for your money you get a little metal box and all the air inside it.

Now then the dealer would say yes but the paper work and everything else will set you back an extra R10000 or more depending on the dealer and you end up paying a blackmail fee because they will not give you the car at asking price simply because they can make more money out of you! Even on a second hand car they love to add BS to the price and charge you about R10000 extra.

Then if you buy a car that is not build in South Africa you may end up importing its bits and that can take wile and be so costly that you would rather walk. And in the end we are just lapping it up! Yes our politicians can demand whatever they damn well please but they are not asking why are we paying so much for cars that we cannot afford them anymore. And more to the point why do we even allow car companies to have factories in our country? If these car companies cannot even build a good little car for the public! “What is the point?!” “And don’t tell me it is part of job creation because they just fired a lot of people to save money”

There is no benefit for the South African people to have factories here, and the truth is that a bloody import is less expensive and almost always without acceptation you will get more for your money. Why is that? Even our freemasons get ticked off because they cannot own their beloved Lexus or BMW and have to opt for a Daihatsu and the BMW is made in South Africa!!! Yes BMW’s are not made in Aria 51 they are made in South Africa with dodgy power and all.

So the lesion is when you buy a car:
.a> Ask for the blackmail fee
.b> Service cost
.c> Import cost
.e> Spare-parts availability.

Also do your homework because some imports cost less... is cheaper to maintain and is sometimes more powerful than our local build cars.

Happy car hunting

[twinscythe12332]

we pay a lot to keep the factories here as far as I can make out. If there wasn't the import duties, our market would be flooded with cheaper cars and the factories would bugger off elsewhere
I've always maintained that a car should be able to get you from point A to point B at a reasonable pace. If the car can do 125 km/h, and has good fuel effeciency it is a winner. the problem comes in with the mentality we have... even I have them. we perceive the public transport to be terrible. We have visions of being stabbed and left bleeding in a train car, or missing a stop and the bus driver telling you "tough sh**." we don't like to leave our transport in another person's hands. Look at the current congestion levels. if the prices came down to something like the UKs, we'd be royally forked. There is a reason it happens, we just don't see why we the consumer have to stick it.

[tec0]

Well life without transport is hell. It is a limitation that I have experienced all my life. And as the times get harder jobs get more difficult to find and in the end you sit in the gutter. I know this to be fact because I have been in and out of jobs when I dropped out of school all those many years ago.

All I am looking for is a car that can take me to point A to point B without too much trouble. Still this proved impossible because every time you get a car that is “worth it” the dealer loads the price with an extra R10000 or so. It is really difficult to say no because the dealer does not need your business.

In all I have given up car hunting for now. There is just no realistic way to deal with not having your own transport. Thus I have a new found hatred for all local car manufacturers because they are a negative on our economy.

In short there will be a time where people will just “do whatever it is they have to do to get cheap imports into our country” Like those second-hand imports from Japan.

[tec0]

The Dangers of a Private Car Sale.

Yes, there is always a hidden danger when it comes a “private car sale” First of there is no warrantee on the car secondly you don’t really know what you are getting until you try and get the damn thing. About 3 years ago a friend of mine got himself a Volkswagen pickup it was in bad shape but once you cot trough the body-putty and paint it was a disaster!

The front half was welded to the back half. No joke! The car was literally cut in two and new pieces were welded on! Now this kind of thing is scary because you paid money for it and you are risking your life.

So knowing this I have visited about 7 people that had private cars for sale. Now the cars were all doggy serial numbers did not match up “suggest that it is not original engine” that kind of thing. So I came to the conclusion that a private sale is not a “real world” solution because there is always something that amiss.

So here are some pointers to keep in mind “and feel free to add your own”

.a> always check the engine numbers to the documentation.
.b> is the car in question still the property of the bank
.c> was there any repair work done to the car and why.
.d> check for outstanding speeding fines licensing is up to date.
.e> check the electrical of the car “especially if it has a big sound system”
.f> always check for moisture inside the car and always check for rust.
.g> Go to the police and make sure the car in question is or was not stolen.

Now this is just some of the pointers there lost more...

[IanF]

Teco
Try AA autobay we bought a car from them got finance through them even though it was a private deal. Also there is an AA inspection done at the sellers cost before you see the car. This was over a year ago so it may have changed a bit.

[tec0]

Teco
Try AA autobay we bought a car from them got finance through them even though it was a private deal. Also there is an AA inspection done at the sellers cost before you see the car. This was over a year ago so it may have changed a bit.

I will take your suggestion under advisement and will report my findings back to both you and the Forum. I have viewed the link and it looks really promising. I will phone the AA autobay up and talk to them about the inspections and services they provide.

Thank you.

[tec0]

The Automobile Association AKA AA is one of the biggest names in South Africa when it comes to quality and cars. However getting hold of them is a bit of a BIG problem, the automated system will transfer you to their answering system that will keep you on hold for a long time I gave up after about 15 minutes. Then phoned again and again and again till I just send them an e-mail.

So yes the website looks impressive and the cars are well priced but no technical information available it is still a shot in the dark and basically a hit or miss situation. Honestly I am disappointed at the AA that has such a good reputation in South Africa.

I would think that you will get a bunch of professional people willing and able to get the job done after all cars are big money and good commission based. But alas no...

Still now you know what to expect.

[tec0]

Right after some complaining to the AA head office I got a call back from the branch in question. As suspected a car of about R32000 will not cost you R32000 no. The car in question will set you back an extra R7500 more or less thus you WILL pay R 39500 for your car and you get absolutely no guarantee other then the pre-check list “I will get back to you on the list itself” Now the cost will include car registration and some background checks to see if the car is the property of the seller.

Now basically they work in commission percentages thus the more expensive the car the more expensive the “extra amount will be.” So you get an AA “Examination” but that is all you get...

So it is in my opinion that the cars is not so expensive and AA check IS always welcomed but after the inspections it is the people taking commission and other registration fees that just pushes the price to an all time High.

And before I forget. If you are selling your car trough them you get to pay for the AA check, registration and commission from the seller as well so this also amps up the price so basically out of every 1 car that is sold the price was amped up twice on frees and cost “aside of the inspection itself that is” Now that is a lot of money for paperwork?

[IanF]

Teco
I paid an extra R2k for licencing etc. They do try and add on a lot of extras just refuse, you can also make an offer all in of say R34/32k no bs extras. It is up to the seller to accept or not.

[tec0]

It is really a bad way to do business. Yes you are right I am actually entering negotiations with one of the local dealers. Again the car was R42000 “Asking price” when I showed an interest the price shot up to R52000 excluding a service plan.

The R10000 was for a load of nothing. Car registration and background checks I will pay the R2000 but how do you justify a R10000 increase. This was a Ford & Mazda dealership in the MP region.

I told the dealer from Ford & Mazda that there is no way I am paying an extra R10000 and he said it is not negotiable. Still in next week I will see the people from AA in person and speak to them about their R7500+ see if I can get them to drop it to about R2000

[Dave A]

Yes you are right I am actually entering negotiations with one of the local dealers.
...
I told the dealer from Ford & Mazda that there is no way I am paying an extra R10000 and he said it is not negotiable.

The really fun part of negotiating - claiming not to be negotiable

What is the most important word in any negotiation?

NO

[tec0]

Right we all know that the VW Citi Golf is probability a very easy car to “restore” Now I got a phone call from a local car dealer. He told me he had a 2001 model VW Citi Golf in excellent condition. He then said I must come and have a look at the car.

I did just that and what a disaster! This poor thing was chopped and changes from about 4 different generation VW’s. Nothing on it was original not even the trimming. But the best part was he tried force it down on me. And yes, “voetstoots” and then I must still get it through the test and everything!

The worst part of this was that the dealer got offended when I told him “Sorry but no I am not taking it” So I just told him to forget my number. But my question is; how did it end up on the sales floor in the first place? Apparently it was a trade-in...?

[wynn]

What is the most important word in any negotiation?

NO

And then don't be the first to blink!!!